Construction Timeline

In the final few weeks there isn’t too much to do. On my timeline is final testing/prototyping, the final construction of my parts, then the customization of my parts. Final prototyping will be completed over this weekend and final construction should be completed by next weekend. After that I will be just about ready for…

Project Aesthetics Compared to 20th Century Design Movements: Butterfly Knife

As of now I have a minimalist, rust decay aesthetic for my knife. I want the handles hollowed out to be seen through and make it light weight. The rust/decay look will come from anodizing the metal. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/df/1b/53/df1b53b6b70e504d8727200c4bc4b840.jpg I would like to capture these colors but not the rust. Here are a few sketches of…

Design Review: Butterfly Knife Prototype

For my final project I have decided to make a butterfly knife. To give it a more unique look, I want to anodize the metal to give it a vibrant color. To anodize metal, you need to run an electric current through the metal in a solution. This process creates an oxidized layer with a…

Main Project Inspirations

My source of inspiration for this final project has come from my new hobby of learning tricks on a butterfly knife. As of right now, I only have cheap, low quality butterfly knives and I think it would be a fun project to make a complete one myself without having to buy any parts for…

Skill Sets and Personal Aspirations

With 4 years in the mechanical engineering program, I have learned a number of applicable skills. I also enjoy learning new skills to continually broaden my skill sets. An important thing I can bring to the team is effective communication and feedback. I believe these are important skills to have in a team dynamic in…

Upcycle Final Report: Fidget Spinner

Figuring out what I wanted to make from objects around my house was a hard decision to make. Stumbling across fidget toys that “high quality” made me want to try and make one for this project. Of these toys, fidget spinners caught my attention the most. Many of these are 3D printed or milled with…

Upcycling Progress: Fidget Toys

While procrastinating brainstorming for this project, I stumbled across something called fidget toys (particularly fidget spinners).       They appear to be getting trendy and are for people who like to keep their hands occupied at all times. The idea for these toys are to replace habits like pen clicking and foot tapping with something less…

Aesthetic Exploration: 4th Dimensional Objects

To create something in the 4th dimension is currently impossible. To even visualize it is incredibly difficult. But there is something very appealing to watching a 4 dimensional object rotate in 3 dimensions on our 2D screens. There are artists such as Salvador Dalí who incorporated the concept 4D objects into their art. 4D objects are not…